*Chilli-filled grenades to start reaching today
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 3: On the eve of 27-member All Party Delegation’s (APD) visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today appealed to all stakeholders to come and meet the delegation and give their suggestions for addressing the Kashmir problem.
Rajnath, who is heading the delegation to Jammu and Kashmir on September 4 and 5, made the appeal at the end of nearly two hours long meeting in the Parliament Hall in the Union Capital today after listening view point of the delegation members.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Rajnath has sent clear message to all stakeholders that they were free to meet the delegation in Srinagar and Jammu, the twin rotational capital cities of the State, during their two-day long stay in the State.
With Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut and Aam Aadmi Party’s Dharamveer Gandhi opting out, the strength of the delegation now has been reduced to 27 from 29.
Sources said E Ahmad of Muslim League and Badrudin Ajmal of All India United Democratic Front couldn’t make it to today’s meeting of the delegation members called by the Union home Minister but would join the delegation tomorrow morning. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar attended today’s meeting but he will not be part of the delegation.
According to sources, despite calls for talks with separatists and Hurriyat Conference by Congress members Ghulam Nabi Azad and Malikarjun Kharge, NCP’s Tariq Anwar, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury, Janata Dal U’s Sharad Yadav, CPI’s D Raja and some other members in the meeting, the Home Minister stuck to the stand taken by him as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi that talks with all stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir would be held within the ambit of the Constitution of India and Vajpayee’s doctrine of `Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and Jamhooriyat’.
The Government tried to evolve consensus by convincing all the delegation members that every decision by the delegation should be taken collectively especially on talks with the stakeholders.
Rajnath made another significant announcement ahead of the delegation’s visit that from tomorrow itself chilli-filled grenades, which have been picked up as an alternate to pellet guns, would start reaching the Valley tomorrow.
Named as Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide (PAVA), 1000 chilli-filled grenades will reach the Valley for next 7 to 10 days daily as crowd control measure to minimize the use of pellet-guns, which will now be used under rarest of rare circumstances.
The Home Minister has issued directions to the para-military force CRPF, which was mainly engaged in tackling protests across the Valley along with Jammu and Kashmir Police, to use chilli-filled grenades instead of pellet-guns, which have left many injured. The chilli powder filled grenades had been suggested as an alternate to pellet guns by a high powered committee set up by the Home Minister.
Congress members Ghulam Nabi Azad and Malikarjun Kharge, who will join the delegation, today called on AICC (I) vice president Rahul Gandhi and inter-acted with him on Jammu and Kashmir situation. AICC (I) general secretary Ambika Soni is third member from the Congress in the delegation.
Sources said Rajnath Singh briefed all delegation members about situation in Jammu and Kashmir and gave them brief of his previous two visits to the Valley. He called for consensus among the delegation members-whether they were from the Government side or Opposition camp-as the message of division on Kashmir situation would send wrong message.
The delegation, led by Rajnath and having two other official members-Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, will reach Srinagar, the summer capital of the State around 10 am tomorrow and have meeting with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who will brief in detail the delegation members on prevailing unrest in the Valley for past about 55 days, leading to nearly 70 killings and leaving over 8000 others injured, half of them para-military and police personnel.
Sources said after returning to New Delhi on Monday night, the delegation would meet once again “and the Government will take action based on their suggestions.
Meanwhile, after the meeting, leaders from Congress and CPI(M) said all stakeholders should be approached during the two-day visit of the delegation to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Government should invite Hurriyat for talks with the all-party delegation…. The invitation extended to others should be given to Hurriyat also. It is up to them whether they want to meet the delegation,” CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said.
Yechury said Government should make “tangible” announcement like a ban on pellet guns, withdrawal of AFSPA from civilian areas and rehabilitation and compensation package for those who lost their lives in recent violence as a follow up of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement of taking peace initiative on the basis of ‘Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat’.
The delegation will interact with individuals and groups aiming to bring peace in the Valley.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the UPA is open to holding dialogue with all stakeholders.
“We have said that the option of dialogue should be open to all stakeholders. Government should open the dialogue with all stakeholders. The Centre and the State Government know who the stake holders are. They have to identify the stakeholders and invite,” he said in the presence of Tariq Anwar of NCP, a UPA constituent.
Azad said the pellet guns should be replaced with less lethal options to control protesters in Kashmir valley.
Prem Singh Chandumajra of Shiromani Akali Dal said the secular face of Jammu and Kashmir is being lost due to violence. “It needs a political framework. It is not merely a law and order issue.”
After the meeting, Yechury said that confidence building measures should be announced during the visit of the delegation.
The delegation members included Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the head, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Union MoS in PMO Dr Jitendra Singh, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, his Lok Sabha colleague Mallikarjun Kharge, senior Congress leader Ambika Soni, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP), JD-U leader Sharad Yadav, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja.
NCP’s Tariq Anwar, Trinamool Congress’ Saugata Roy, Shiv Sena’s Anandrao Adsul, TDP’s Thota Narasimham, Shiromani Akali Dal’s Prem Singh Chandumajra, BJD’s Dilip Tirkey, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, AIUDF’s Badaruddin Ajmal and Muslim League’s E Ahmed will also be part of the delegation.
TRS’ Jitendra Reddy, N K Premchandran (RSP), P Venugopal (AIADMK), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Y B Subba (YSR-Cong), Jaiprakash Yadav (RJD) and Dushyant Chautala (RLD) are also in the team.
BSP and Samajwadi Party have extended their support but have nominated any of their members to the delegation.
Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut has opted out while AAP’s Dharamveer Gandhi is abroad.
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